Tissue ablation is the destruction of tissue, typically pathologic tissue, with the aim to cure a disease. Ablation has been used in numerous applications. For example, cardiac ablation is one form of treatment for restoring normal conduction in patients with cardiac arrhythmias. The sources of the aberrant pathways are located, and the aberrant tissue is ablated.
Renal sympathetic nerves have been identified as a contributor to hypertension, as patients with hypertension exhibit increased sympathetic activity relating to the kidneys. Ablation of renal nerves is one way of treating hypertension. In radio frequency (RF) ablation, RF energy is directed from the ablation electrode through tissue to ablate the tissue and form a lesion.
Renal denervation and other catheter based ablation applications would benefit from real-time, active monitoring of tissue temperatures in the vicinity of the treatment target. Traditional temperature monitoring techniques that include wires which extend through the length of the catheter to a sensor at the catheter tip can adversely impact catheter performance and can be impractical. For example, the need to include a wire for each sensor would add bulk, stiffness, or diameter to the catheter, affecting its size, maneuverability, and possibly safe use. Conversely, the number of temperature sensors or monitoring points available in a catheter may be limited in order to maintain catheter functional characteristics. Wireless temperature monitoring technology for ablation catheter systems is described herein to mitigate limitations of traditional wired temperature sensors.